It’s a new year, and with it, a brand new me! I’ve always been bullied for being weak and feminine, but starting today, I will become more manly!

I threw out all my stuffed animals. I got a subscription to a gym. I cut my hair. And now, I’m going to let my beard grow out, and show the world the new and improved Freddie!

“Starting today,” I whisper in the mirror as I stare at my reflection, “I will be a real man!”

With that, I head out the door, skipping my typical morning shave, and head down to the gym for my first ever day of working out. Unfortunately, I don’t quite make it to the gym before I run into trouble.

The gym is located downtown along with various stores, restaurants, and even a movie theater. I come by the area often to hang out, shop, eat, walk around, or catch a movie. The parking lot to the gym is, as always, filled to the brim, though not necessarily with gym members, so I park a bit further away, and walk maybe a quarter mile to the gym. As I’m approaching the parking lot, I hear the honk of a horn, and the squealing of tires.

Looking over towards the road, I see a girl who was clearly just looking down at her phone while jaywalking, along with an annoyed driver glaring at her. She awkwardly waves at the driver, then scurries across the rest of the road, nearly getting hit again in the process. I can’t help but stare, so when she gets onto the sidewalk, she looks over at me, and we stare awkwardly at one another for a moment.

“You know, you should probably be more careful,” I tell her, finally breaking the silence.

She sighs. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that my friend Allison called in sick, and with Marissa out on maternity leave, we’re struggling to cover the shifts at the cafe.”

She looks down at her phone while I shuffle past her. We’re not the only ones walking around here, so we can’t just stand around and block traffic all day. But, as I’m trying to scoot past her, she grabs my wrist.

“You know!” she says in a sing-song voice. “You’re kind of cute! We need an extra pair of hands today, so would you mind helping us out? Oh, my name is Ashley, by the way!”

I look down at the woman’s face. She’s pretty. Maybe about 5’5”, with a chubby build, tan skin, long brown hair, and large, round, brown eyes that seem to shimmer with excitement. She seems to have a taste for fashion, judging by her outfit: a long red skirt with a black turtleneck and short heeled boots. Her makeup is also flawless.

“Ah, I don’t know…” I mutter. I force myself to look away from her face, because if I keep looking into those eyes, I know that I’ll get dragged into trouble.

She squeezes down on my hand with both of hers. I can’t help but notice how soft and small they are. Her voice sounds like honey as she begs me to come help her. “Please! It’s just for the one day, unless of course you fall in love, which I’m sure you will!”

The fool that I am, I look back at her face. She’s staring up at me with all the excitement of a puppy who thinks that she’s about to be fed a nice steak. I’m too weak. As much as I want to fight, I know that I’m going to end up giving in.

“Fine,” I say, kicking myself for being so weak. “I’ll help you out for today only. Let’s exchange phone numbers, and you can send me the address to your cafe later. For now, I’ve got to go work out, and we both need to get out of everyone’s way.”

While I do hate helping her out, I can’t help but smile as she excitedly gives me her phone number. We text one another really quick to make sure we’ve got the right numbers, then she waves goodbye, and goes skipping off.

You know, maybe I’ve got some game? Or maybe I’m the one being played. Either way, I got a cute girl's phone number, so I think I can consider this a win for now.

I walk into the gym, and look around, a bit lost. There’s all different kinds of training equipment, and there’s quite a few people around training. More than I had anticipated.

“New here?” a woman asks.

“Ah, yeah,” I tell her. “I’m wanting to become more manly for the New Year, but I don’t quite know where to start.”

The lady, a pale woman with a six pack who towers far above me, puts her hand on her hip, and gives me a serious look. “Muscles don’t make the man, and you’re fine as you are, really. But, if you want to start working out, that would undoubtedly be a good thing. I’ve got a few hours before work, and like training up new kids like you, so I can give you a hand if you want. If you would rather do it alone, that’s fine, too. Just remember: take it slow. You can’t do what I do quite yet, and if you try, you’ll just hurt yourself.”

“Oh. I’ll keep that in mind. I already know that I’m weak, of course, so I wouldn’t try. Anyhow, I’m really lost, so I think that I’ll take all the help that I can get.”

“You’re lucky that I’ve got a thing for cute little guys like you. Alright, let me lend you a hand. My name is Emily, by the way.”

“I’m Freddie. A pleasure to meet you.”

Even going the easy route with Emily, I have a lot of trouble. By the end of the hour, every muscle in my body is aching. Emily suggests that we end here for now.

“Pushing yourself won’t help. You should go wash off, then go home and rest. I come here often, so feel free to seek me out if you need help.”

I take Emily’s advice. I’ll need the rest if I’m to help out Ashley at the cafe later today. And, boy, as soon as I get home, I’m dead to the world. I don’t even bother making it to my bed, instead crashing on the couch.

Hours later, I’m woken up by my phone ringing.

“Hello! Ashley here!” a sweet voice comes out from the phone.

I check the time. There’s still plenty of time before I have to go in and help her. “Why are you calling?”

“I heard that you ran into my friend Emily. When I realized that she was talking about you, I figured that you might be knocked out all night if I didn’t wake you up. You can’t be late for the only day that you’re supposed to help us, right?”

“That’s a pretty good point. I could use another hour or two of sleep, though.”

“Maybe, but you shouldn’t cut it too close. We have to get you your uniform and fill you in on stuff, so be sure to arrive with plenty of time to spare. And don’t forget to shower, for Pete’s sake!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good! I’ll see you soon!”

She cuts the call, and I groan. I’m still tired, but I guess I should probably wake up now and shower, eat, and get going.

An hour later, I’m pulling up to a little cafe on the other side of town. I don’t come by here often. I’ve seen the building before, but never paid much attention to what it houses. A sign out front informs me that this is the Misty Maid Cafe. There’s a small girl with dark skin and pink hair in pigtails out front wiping down the glass front door. She’s barely 5 feet tall, and super skinny.

“Um,” I start awkwardly.

The girl turns around, and glares at me. She forces herself to soften her features, then says in a sweet voice, with more than a hint of sour, “I’m sorry, we’re not quite open yet! Please come back in a bit!”

“Oh! Justine! That’s our new worker, Freddie!” Ashley’s voice comes from around the side of the cafe as she rushes over. She’s wearing a maid outfit, presumably the uniform for female workers.

“Eh?” Justine drops any pretenses. She’s straight up annoyed. “What do you mean new worker? I don’t want to work with this twink!”

“Come on! Isn’t he cute?”

Justine gags. “If you want to see cute, just look in front of you, because I’m the most adorable girl in the entire world! Anyhow, he’s a dude.”

“Thanks for noticing,” I say. “But why does that matter?”

Justine looks over at Ashley, and then at me. “Did Ashley not tell you about this place? This is a maid cafe. Everyone here wears a maid outfit. Except Emily, of course. She works in the kitchen.”

“Well, maybe I can help out in the kitchen,” I suggest.

“Please! Do we need to poison our guests? I think not! Emily is an exceptional cook, and she sure as heck doesn’t want to wear a frilly maid outfit and wait tables!”

“Neither do I!”

Ashley runs over to me and grabs my hands. She gives me a puppy dog stare, and says, “Please! Without you, we might not be able to open today! Just help us out this once!”

I take a deep breath. I just can’t say no to a cute girl, can I?

“Fine. Just this once.”

“Yay! Come with me, I’ve already got your uniform ready!”

Ashley takes me through a back door to a changing room, and hands me a maid dress on a hanger, as well as some socks and shoes and other things. She shoves me into the changing room, and waits outside to make sure nobody bothers me while I change.

The outfit fits me surprisingly well. It isn’t quite tailored to my body, but it fits better than expected for a woman’s dress that wasn’t made for me. It’s a black dress and a white apron that comes down to my knees with a petticoat underneath to make it puff out. There’s also black thigh highs, a red ribbon, short black heels, and a frilly white headband.

I look myself in the mirror. I’m cute, but it’s clear that I’m still a dude.

“Are you done?” Ashley asks.

“Yeah. You can come in. I don’t really think this will work, though,” I warn her.

Ashley walks in, and her eyes light up. “Oh, I knew you would look adorable! Oh, we just need to pad that chest and work on your makeup! Give me a few moments!”

A few minutes later, Ashley runs back into the room with some tissues, a wig, and a bag full of makeup. She stuffs my bra, then shoves me down on a stool and spends quite some time working on my face. Once she finishes with the makeup, she spends more time on the wig.

Eventually, I’m stood back up, and led to the mirror. My jaw just about hits the floor when I see myself. I look like a completely different person! I look like a seriously cute girl! Long brown hair, some small but visible breasts, and a face that would make any man swoon!

“What the heck?” I whisper.

“Right?” she asks. “I’m good, huh? I’ve done cosplay, so I have some experience with makeup and wigs and costumes! I just wish I had more of a heads up so I could fix the outfit a bit, but this will do! Have you ever worked customer service before?”

“No.”

“That’s fine! You can learn on the job! We’re opening in 10 minutes, so prepare yourself mentally!”

“Eh? Don’t you need to teach me stuff about the menu or waiting or something?”

“No time! Good luck!”

With that, I’m let out into the dining room to wait alongside the tiny terror Justine while Ashley runs over to open the door.

“You make a better girl than you do a boy,” Justine says.

I blush. “I don’t like this. I’m supposed to be a man.”

“Well you’re failing terribly. Customers are coming in, so be sure to welcome them. Repeat after me.”

Justine puts on a large smile for the customers, and bows to them as they start walking in. “Welcome home, masters! We have a new maid today, so be sure to treat her well!”

I bow awkwardly, trying to mirror Justine. “W-welcome home, masters!”

“Oh, god, she’s just my type!” I hear some creepy guy whisper to his friend as he sits down at a table.

“She’s cute, I’ll give her that! But you can’t beat Justine!” his friend says.

It seems that most people that come here have a favorite. Many are regulars, and Justine and Ashley make sure to take their tables.

“That guy with the neck tattoo is one of Marissa’s regulars,” Ashley tells me. “Why don’t you go wait on him? Make sure to write down his order and name, and leave it with Emily.”

I gulp, and look at the bald man with huge muscles and a neck tattoo. He looks like he could rip me in half if he wanted to. Cautiously, I walk over to him, and bow.

“Welcome to Misty Maid Cafe,” I tell him. “I understand that Marissa usually waits on you, but she’s on maternity leave right now.”

I add in my head, “Please don’t yell at me!”

The man smiles a crooked smile with many missing teeth. “Oh, that’s a shame, but I’m really happy for her! I knew she was pregnant, of course, and her wife really is such a sweet woman! I can’t wait to see baby pics when she comes back!”

“Ah? Yes…”

“So, are you filling in for her while she’s gone?”

“Uh, just for today, sir. Ashley asked this favor of me, but the other worker, Allison, should be back tomorrow. Hopefully.”

He laughs at that. “Yeah, Ashley can be a bit of an airhead! But she’s great! So, what’s your name?”

“My… name?”

“Yes?”

“Uh. Kira.”

“Oh, what a cute name! Great to meet you, Kira! I’m Paul!”

“Good to meet you too, sir… So, what will you have to eat?”

He thinks about this for a moment, looking at the menu. “What would you suggest?”

I think to myself, “I have no idea! I’ve never been here before! I don’t even know the menu!”

Instead, I take a deep breath to focus myself, and then glance down at the menu. Lots of dessert items. I decide to just go with one of the random items that I see. “The strawberry shortcake is good.”

He nods thoughtfully. “Yes, it really is. All of the items are, of course. Emily is a talented baker. I think I’ll go with your recommendation. Oh, and a milk tea!”

“Yes, sir! Coming right up!”

I write his order down, and head to the kitchen to let Emily know. She’s hard at work back there cutting pieces of cakes and pouring drinks.

“Uh, order up?” I say.

She looks up at me, and jerks back in surprise. “Freddie?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Wow. You look great!”

“Thanks, I guess. Or maybe that’s just a compliment for Ashley since this is all her doing.”

“She did tell you that this is a maid cafe before you came, right?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. Anyhow, go ahead and give me the order! I’ll call you when it’s ready for pick up. Oh, before I forget, what should I call you? Not Freddie, right?”

“I panicked and chose the name Kira. It’s my sister’s name.”

“Well, it’s as good a name as any.”

“Emily! Orders!” Justine shouts, sprinting into the kitchen and placing three pieces of paper on the table for Emily. She starts to sprint out, but pauses, and glares at me. “Are you going to be standing there all day, or will you get some orders out? Go get an order from that old lady that just walked in! She’s never been, so make sure that she returns!”

“Okay?” I say, but she might not even hear me as she’s already ran back out to the dining area.

I walk out into the dining area, and look around for the old lady. I freeze as I recognize my grandmother sitting down at a table near a window next to the scary man with the tattoo. As she sits down at the table with him, he reaches over and hugs her. Does she know him? Is she here on a date? What?

I stare like an idiot for a solid minute before Justine runs over and elbows me in the ribs.

“Go get the order, moron!” she hisses.

“That’s my grandma?”

“I don’t care! Make sure your grandma becomes a recurring customer!”

I gulp, and start over to the table where my grandma is on a date with the man who looks like a criminal but is surprisingly kindhearted. I’m shaking as I approach.

“H-hello! Welcome to the Maid Misty- ah, the Misty Maid Coffee- ah!”

“It’s her first day,” Paul tells my grandma. “Isn’t she adorable? Rookies making mistakes like that are always so endearing!”

My grandma tilts her head. “She looks familiar, somehow. Maybe we’ve run into one another before?”

“I do live in the city, so it’s possible! Maybe at the grocery store!”

“Maybe. I don’t know, I just feel like my brain is on the brink of making a connection.”

“Would you like to order something, ma’am?”’

“Ah, right. For now, just a coffee. Black as night, if you could.”

“Of course. And nothing to eat?”

“Oh, with my medication, it probably isn’t a good idea. You’ve got nothing but sweets here.”

“Understandable! I’ll be right back with the coffee, ma’am, as well as with your order soon, Paul!”

I return to the kitchen and lean on the table. Emily looks at me with a confused look on her face.

“Surely you’re not already tired, are you? It’s been 10 minutes.” Then a look of anger comes across her face. “Nobody made a pass at you, did they? I’ll choke the life out of them!”

She starts towards the door, but I grab her hand.

“No, no, nothing like that! I just waited on my grandma.”

“Oh?”

“She’s on a date with Paul!”

“Oh! Paul’s a great guy! Good for your grandma!”

“She’s married!”

“Oh. Well… Maybe it isn’t a date?”

Ashley comes skipping in and places some orders on the table. “Here’s some orders! Oh, Kira, is everything alright?”

“No! My grandma is here on a date! Is she cheating on my grandpa?”

She shrugs. “Sounds like an issue that can be dealt with later! An old guy just walked in, so do you mind waiting on him?”

I sigh. “Fine. Might as well.”

“Here’s Paul’s order, by the way,” Emily says, handing me a tray with a cut of strawberry shortcake and the tea. She guides my hands to make sure I hold it right, with one hand holding the bottom as opposed to holding the sides.

I walk back out into the dining area, and freeze once again as I see my grandpa now walking up to my grandma and Paul. I wonder for a moment if I’m about to see my ex-marine grandpa fight this guy, but I quickly note that he’s actually smiling. Paul gets up and hugs my grandpa, then the two sit down. My grandma gives my grandpa a kiss on the cheek as he sits down.

“Er, hello, sir. Welcome to the Maid Cafe. Uh. Misty Maid Cafe. May I take your order?” I ask my grandpa as I place Paul’s order in front of him.

Grandpa stares at me for a second, then says, “Freddie?”

“Pardon? My name is Kira.”

The look on my grandpa’s face changes from confusion to acceptance within a second. “Well, whatever. I don’t know why you’re using your sister’s name, but that’s not my business. You look great. I’ll keep your secret so long as you keep mine.”

“Yours?” I ask.

He cocks an eyebrow. “Really? I thought you realized that I was on a double date here.”

“Oh, with grandma and Paul, right? When will Paul’s date be coming? We can put an order in for her now.”

My grandpa theatrically smacks his forehead. “No, Kira, it’s a three way date!”

“Oh.” I blink, not quite catching what he’s saying. “What?”

“You were never as smart as your sister, but we love you all the same.”

“Honey, it’s pretty straightforward,” my grandma says. “I’m sleeping with two men tonight.”

I don’t even know what to say. “Congrats?”

Justine rushes over. “Kira! Have you gotten the order yet? We’re getting backed up!”

“Oh, sorry!” I tell her.

“A strawberry parfait for me,” my grandpa says.

“I’ll be right out, sir,”

My mind is a mess, but I don’t really have time to come to terms with my grandparents having a threesome or finding out that I’m crossdressing, because as Justine said, we’re seriously getting backed up. I don’t have time to talk to my grandparents more, as I’m running to and from, taking orders and delivering them, and then running back to pick up empty plates and checks and tips. I don’t think I ever realized just how exhausting this kind of work was!

At the end of the shift, I’m doubled over, gasping for breath as Ashley cheerily waves goodbye to the last customer. How does she still have any energy after all of that?

“Wow, what a great day!” she says, skipping over to me.

“I feel like death,” I groan.

“But you made some good tips, right?”

“I don’t know? I haven’t counted those up yet.”

“Look on the bright side,” Justine says. “Your grandma is having a threesome tonight.”

“I’m not sure that’s really a bright side for me.”

“It certainly is for her.”

“More importantly,” Ashley says, hugging me tight, “You look absolutely adorable! Ugh, it’s such a waste to take off the makeup and wig and clothes! You should stay like this!”

“No way!” I tell her, pushing her off.

“You do look rather good,” Emily says. “I think the customers really liked you. You should do this again sometime.”

“Like hell I will! I’m supposed to become more manly this year, and crossdressing is the opposite of manly!”

“We can’t force you. This is hard work, after all. But we’ve all become rather fond of you. Yes, even Justine. She just shows her love in a weird way.”

“You better watch yourself!” Justine warns her.

“You’re free to keep the dress, by the way!” Ashley says.

“I’ll wash the clothes and return them immediately,” I tell her.

“Make sure to get lots of selfies first! Oh, and if you ever want makeup tips or more clothes, let me know! I’m happy to help!”

“Do you listen to anything I say?” I ask.

“No, she doesn’t,” Emily answers. “That’s just how she is. Don't worry about her.”

I exchange numbers with Emily as Ashley takes my makeup off. She also slips Justine’s number into my phone, though I don’t think it’s a good idea to text her.

“We’re eager to see you again, whether it’s as a coworker, a customer, or a friend!” Emily says as I drive off.

“And also regardless of if you’re Freddie or Kira!” Ashley adds.

I have no expectation of ever being Kira again, but I do like these girls, so I would like to spend more time with them. I just have to be careful that Ashley doesn’t drag me into something weird again.

Back home, I throw my shoes off, and put a microwavable dinner to heat up for a bit. Then I grab the bag with the maid uniform, and pull out the dress, planning to wash it. I pause for a moment.

Against my better judgment, I change out of my everyday wear, and put the dress on. I look at myself in the mirror in my living room. Without the wig or makeup, I just look silly. For some reason, that makes me feel a bit disappointed. I’m just a scrawny guy wearing a dress right now.

As I’m looking myself in the mirror, the front door opens, and my grandma and grandpa both walk in. They pause, surprised, as they see me standing there wearing a dress.

“Is this just going to be a normal thing from now on?” my grandma asks.

“No! It’s just the one time! And what are you doing opening my front door without knocking first?”

“We texted you, but you hadn’t responded, so we just let ourselves in. It wasn’t locked, you know.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice your text, I was… busy…”

“Busy crossdressing?” my grandpa asks.

“No! I was microwaving some food and getting ready to do laundry!”

“Sure. Anyhow, we were just coming by to let you know that we support you regardless of your crossdressing or anything, and that we won’t let anybody know about your hobbies or job. We’ll just leave you to have fun now!”

“It isn’t like that!” I tell them, but they don’t listen. But, really, isn’t it kind of like that? I mean, the cafe thing can be excused, but this time it was of my own volition.

And, really? Is that so bad? Cute clothes are kind of nice, and the girls at the cafe are great. And, after checking the tips I made for the day, I did make a little bit of money. Maybe crossdressing and working at a maid cafe isn’t too bad?

I pick up my phone and call Ashley.

“Hello?”

“It’s Freddie.”

“I know. What’s up? Calling me up for a date?”

“No, I– well, actually, we can talk about that later, but I was calling to tell you that I think I’m going to accept your offer of working at the cafe.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah. You girls are all cool, and it was fun, if a bit chaotic.”

I hear some kind of excited scream from the phone, and have to pull it away from my ear.

“We’ve got to go out tomorrow!” Ashley tells me.

“On a date to celebrate?” I ask.

“Kind of! We need to get new makeup, and some underwear for you… Maybe some every day clothes?”

“Only if we can get dinner, too.”

She laughs. “Fine! It’s a date, then!”

“See you tomorrow, then!”

I can’t wipe the smile off of my face. Sure, I may have failed my New Year’s resolution of becoming more manly within the first week of the year, but I’ve got a date lined up, and, something tells me, probably a whole lot more where that came from!